St Joseph's Newsletter T4 Wk 2
26 October 2022
Principal’s Piece
Kia Ora Koutou
Ka rere te tui, tae noa ki te whakata, ka hoki and ki te kainga
A tui will fly so far until it rests, and will then return home
This term has got off to a flying start with Year 4-8 athletics last week and our senior production this week. It is an action packed term with many other opportunities for our students over the next 8 weeks. Our middle school goes on camp to Raglan in Week 8, our seniors are off on a day trip to Waimarino and our junior school is attending the Waikato A&P show this Friday just to name a few.
Term 4 is also the term when assessments are completed for the year and end of year reports are written. Also during this period class lists for 2023 are constructed. If your child is not returning to St Joseph’s could you please inform us. If you have learning considerations for your child’s placement for 2023 please email me by Friday 11 November; class.placements@stjosephs.school.nz. Please note that any request is not guaranteed but it is taken into consideration when placing children. With placements we endeavour to make sure every child has the best environment to thrive in.
In Week 9 the school will have the end of year events including the prize giving and final Mass. The last day of school for our Year 1-7 students will be Thursday 15 December and like last year the Year 8’s Leavers function will take place on Friday 16 December.
After a busy nine weeks we will be able to return home for a rest and enjoy the summer holidays.
Kia manaaki te Atua koutou katoa
Grant Stuart
Tumuaki / Principal
Gospel Reflection
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C Sunday, October 23, 2022
Gospel Reading
Luke 18:9-14
Jesus tells the parable of the proud Pharisee who prayed from his self-importance and the tax collector who prayed humbly.
Background on the Gospel Reading
The second parable that Jesus tells in Luke 18 addresses attitude in prayer. In contrasting the prayer of the Pharisee with the prayer of the tax collector, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray in humility before God. Jesus again surprises his listeners by showing the tax collector as the example of faith, rather than the Pharisee. Remember that Pharisees were members of a sect of Judaism active in Jesus' time. They taught an oral interpretation of the Law of Moses as the basis for Jewish piety. If anyone would be a model for prayer, a Pharisee was a likely candidate. In contrast, Jesus offers the tax collector as a model for prayer. Tax collectors were collaborators with the Roman authorities in a system that allowed the tax collectors to line their own pockets by charging in excess of the defined taxes. Yet, in this parable, Jesus offers the humility of the tax collector as a model for the prayer of a disciple. The parable reminds us that when we pray, we must remember our need for God in our lives. If we are too full of ourselves, there is too little room for God's grace to work in us.
News
No Pizza orders this Friday.
PTFA Second Hand Uniform Sale
2023 Term Dates
Term 1: Tues 31 January - Thurs 6 April
Term 2: Mon 24 April - Fri 30 June
Term 3: Mon 17 Jul - Friday 22 Sept
Term 4: Mon 9 Oct - Fri 15 Dec
Enrolments for 2023
ICAS Achievements
Congratulations to the following students For their achievements in the ICAS Exams:
Science
Merit
Zach McLauchlan-Hillary
Credit
Theo Johnston
Emilia Shyra
Distinction
Bella McLauchlan-Hillary
Spelling
Merit
Aodhan O'Toole
Joseph Riley
Emilia Shyra
Aoife Whaley
Credit
Theo Barton
Sophia Turno
Distinction
Laura Barton
Raphael Brdanovic
Lorenzo Lunas
Bella McLauchlan-Hillary
Chloe Pierard-Joel
Tessa Scott
Mass Schedule Term 4
Whanau are welcome to join us in celebrating the Eucharist on Friday’s at 9 am as follows:
Teacher Only Day - Friday 11 November
Gumboot Thursday! Thursday 3 November.
In August the Year 7&8 students had a visit from Tai Toupou from I Am Hope discussing mental health, so we have first hand experience of the great work this organisation does! If you want to know more, the website is https://www.gumbootfriday.org.nz/
Student Well Being
Counselling Appointments
Our Counsellor will work more closely with individuals and small groups. If you wish to make a referral to the counsellor for a student please fill in the following form:
Asthma
As part of our commitment to ensure the safety of all students at our school, staff have recently completed an asthma refresher with Asthma Waikato.
Following this we are asking all families who have a child at school who have been diagnosed with asthma or who have been prescribed an inhaler, to please let us know. As part of our school policy we are required to have all known asthmatics on a register and to hold at school for each child:
- An up-to-date Asthma Action Plan (completed by a GP)
- A clean, new spacer and reliever inhaler OR Symbicort if that is the inhaler your child uses as a reliever.
Asthma Waikato accepts self-referrals and their services are free. They provide one-to-one asthma education and support to families of children aged 0-15 with asthma living in the Waikato. They can ensure your child is on the right medications, the right dose, the right device and that you and they understand what asthma is and how to manage it best. For example, did you know that needing to use your reliever (blue or grey usually) inhaler more than twice a week can be dangerous and can also mean asthma is uncontrolled? Or that preventer inhalers have to be given morning and night, every day even when well to be effective?
There have been big changes in the recommendations (both globally and within NZ) for asthma medications for children aged 12+ recently. To ensure your child is on the best regime and the most recommended, please make an appointment to see Asthma Waikato.
We highly recommend all our families with children with asthma get in touch with Asthma Waikato and self-refer for a consultation with them. Self-referrals can be made through their website www.asthmawaikato.org.nz
Students Arriving Early
Parking on Strowan Avenune and Clarkin Ave
Sports
Waterpolo
During the last weekend of the holidays a number of our St Joseph’s students represented Waikato Water Polo at the U12 Baywave Tournament in Tauranga. They were Max Baker, Samuel McDiarmid, Jasper Gower, Ezra Gower and Toby Monsma.
Ezra and Toby were in the A team (Taniwha’s) which finished 6th in the A Grade after a very physical final. This grade was a huge step up and the team held their own alongside some bigger regions. Max, Samuel and Jasper were in the B team (Inanga’s) which placed 3rd in the C Grade. Over the half the team were playing in their first tournament and showed some spectacular game play. Special mention to Toby Monsma who took home the team player/MVP for the A team for the tournament! Well deserved Toby .
All students played amazing and represented their region and school with pride.
Round the Bridges
Entries are now open for Round the Bridges.
We have registered the school for those who would like to enter with us. All race options are available.
Please click the link and use STJOES2022 as the group code. Race bibs will be issued to the school and given to your child once received.
https://eventplus.net/RTB22?code=STJOES2022
Group code : STJOES2022
Notices
Before and After School Care 2022
Here are the links to find out more details and to enrol for Term Four:
School Uniform
All items of the uniform can now be purchased via the school. We are no longer selling any uniform items at NZ Uniforms in Hamilton.
Please use the Kindo app to purchase items and these will then be sent to your child's classroom. If you need to try on items, please come to the school office after 9am and we can help you with this or you can call on 855 5434 to arrange a time.
Please be aware that there may be limited sizes of certain items.
School Uniform Items and Prices
Period Products
St Joseph’s Fairfield has opted into the government initiative to provide period products for students. This initiative aims to provide free period products to children and young people in all schools across New Zealand. Periods are a fact of life for half the population. Despite this, young people don’t always have access to the products they need to feel comfortable at school, engage in their learning, and manage what should be a normal and healthy part of life. If you want to know more, click here for a link to the Ministry of Education information.
At St Joseph’s, we have put in place a discreet delivery system so that girls can take home a monthly allocation of period products (two boxes per month). We know that some girls at this age might feel too shy to openly discuss period products with their peers or a staff member, so we want to make access easy and remove any embarrassment for them.
Click here for more information.
Each girl can fill in this Google Form which lets them select from various products.
COVID 19 - Update
New long-term strategy for COVID-19
You’ll be aware that New Zealand will move to a new, long-term approach to COVID-19. These changes have been made based on public health advice and reflect high levels of immunity and declining case numbers across New Zealand.
This new approach will only result in minor changes to the way we operate.
The very positive news is that household contacts of a person with COVID-19 do not need to isolate, but instead are asked to complete a RAT test each day, for five days. Therefore, ākonga who are household contacts but test negative and do not have COVID-19 symptoms, should continue to attend. It is the best place for them to be so they can be engaged in their learning, and connected with their teachers, classmates and friends.
Information on how to get RAT kits can be found here: Request a RAT– Ministry of Health
Mask wearing is no longer required.
All the other recommended public health measures will stay in place as we know they reduce the spread of infectious illnesses including COVID-19. These include ensuring our indoor spaces are well-ventilated, maintaining good hand hygiene, encouraging everyone to cough or sneeze into elbows and, most importantly, staying home and getting tested if they have COVID-19 symptoms.
Thank you for your ongoing support in protecting our community.
Past Student Sporting Achievements
Community Notices
Brain Play
Brain Play teaches online after-school science & technology classes to Kiwi kids aged 5 - 13, from right across the country! Online topics this term include 3D printing, coding, animation, STEM experiments, LEGO & more. Free trials available for new students. Check out our timetable on our website and use the form to get in touch - https://www.brainplay.co.nz/
William Pike Event - Thursday 3 November
Every registered adult can bring a young person for free.
Parish Mass Times
St Peter Chanel
Tuesday 9am
Thursday 9am - Liturgy with Communion
Saturday Vigil 5pm
St Joseph's
Wednesday 9am - Liturgy with Communion
Friday 9am
Sunday 9am
Term Dates
2022 Term Dates
Term 4: Mon 17th October – Fri 16th December
Teacher Only Day
Term 4 – Friday, 11 November
2023 Term Dates
Term 1: Tues 31 January - Thurs 6 April
Term 2: Mon 24 April - Fri 30 June
Term 3: Mon 17 July - Friday 22 September
Term 4: Mon 9 October - Fri 15 December